State Public Charter School Authority

STATE PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL AUTHORITY

2018 CALL FOR QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS WINTER CYCLE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Schools Opening Fall 2019 and Beyond

MS Word Application Template

Application Track C:

Start-Up Applicant (Committee to Form) Seeking to Replicate A High Performing Charter School Without EMO Support or CMO Affiliation

1.  SPCSA Charter Proposal Cover Sheet

Identify the primary point of contact for your team. Barring a change in the makeup of the founding group, this will likely be the liaison identified in the Notice of Intent. This individual will serve as the contact for all communications, scheduling, and notices regarding your application. The Primary Contact is expected to ensure that your team receives all general communications promptly. Please note that, as with all aspects of your application, names and contact information of the Primary Contact will become public information. Please note that neither the Primary Contact nor any other member of the Committee to Form may be an employee of a proposed vendor, including an educational management organization.

Primary contact person:
Mailing address:
Street/PO Box:
City: / State / Zip
Phone Number: / day / evening
Fax Number: / Email:
Name of team or entity applying:

Track A

Track B

Track C

Track D

Provide a brief description of your school that includes the name, the mission, grades served and other information you would like to include in a brief communication of this type. Your description will be used by the sponsor to provide information to the public about applicants and, for approved schools, new charter schools.

Names, roles, and current employment of all persons on applicant team (add lines as needed):

Full Name / Current Job Title and Employer / Position with Proposed School

Does this applicant team, charter management organization, or education management organization have charter school applications under consideration by any other authorizer(s) in the United States? Yes No

If yes, complete the table below, adding lines as needed.

State / Authorizer / Proposed School Name / Application Due Date / Decision Date

Does this applicant team, charter management organization, or education management organization have new schools scheduled to open elsewhere in the United States in the 2015-16 or 2016-17 school years? Yes No

If yes, complete the table below, adding lines as needed.

Proposed School Name / City / State / Opening Date

School Name (add lines as needed):

Proposed School Name(s)* / Opening Year / Grades served Year 1 / Grades served at capacity

(a)  Planned Enrollment (Must Correspond to Budget Worksheet Assumptions)

2019-20 / 2020-21 / 2021-22 / 2022-23 / 2023-24 / 2024-25
K
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Total

Nevada law currently permits an operator to contract with for-profit and non-profit education management organizations and education service providers.

Does the proposed school intend to contract or partner with an education management organization (EMO) or education service provider (ESP) or other organization to provide school management services? Yes No
If yes, identify the EMO/ESP:

Effective January 1, 2016, Nevada law will permits authorizers to enter into charter contracts to nonprofit charter management organizations which directly hold a charter in another state as well as to Nevada non-profit corporations formed for the purpose of applying for a charter in conjunction with such a CMO.

Is the applicant for the proposed school a charter management organization (CMO) or a Nevada non-profit corporation formed for the purpose of applying for a charter in conjunction with a CMO? Yes No
If yes, identify the CMO and any affiliated NV non-profit:

Applicant Certification:

Signature Date

Printed Name:

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2.  Executive Summary

4 Page Limit

Provide a brief overview of your proposed school, including:

·  An overview of the mission and vision for the school

·  Proposed model and target community

·  The outcomes you expect to achieve

·  The key components of your educational model

·  The values, approach, and leadership accomplishments of your school leader or leadership team

·  Key supporters, partners, or resources that will contribute to your school’s success

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3.  Meeting the Need

TARGETED PLAN

(1)  Identify the community you wish to serve and describe your interest in serving this specific community.

(2)  Explain how your model, and the commitment to serve this population, including the grade levels you have chosen, would meet the district and community needs and align with the mission of the SPCSA.

PARENT AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

(1)  Describe the role to date of any parents, neighborhood, and/or community members involved in the development of the proposed school.

(2)  Describe how you will engage parents, neighborhood, and community members from the time that the application is approved through the opening of the school. What specific strategies will be implemented to establish buy-in and to learn parent priorities and concerns during the transition process and post opening?

(3)  Describe how you will engage parents in the life of the school (in addition to any proposed governance roles). Explain the plan for building family-school partnerships that strengthen support for learning and encourage parental involvement. Describe any commitments or volunteer activities the school will seek from, offer to, or require of parents.

(4)  Discuss the community resources that will be available to students and parents. Describe any strategic partnerships the school will have with community organizations, businesses, or other educational institutions that are part of the school’s core mission, vision, and program other than dual-credit partners discussed in subsequent sections. Specify the nature, purposes, terms, and scope of services of any such partnerships, including any fee-based or in-kind commitments from community organizations or individuals that will enrich student-learning opportunities. Include, as Attachment 1, existing evidence of support from community partners such as letters of intent/commitment, memoranda of understanding, and/or contracts.

(5)  Describe the group’s ties to and/or knowledge of the target community. What initiatives and/or strategies will you implement to learn from and engage the neighborhood, community, and broader city?

(6)  Identify any organizations, agencies, or consultants that are partners in planning and establishing the school, along with a brief description of their current and planned role and any resources they have contributed or plan to contribute to the school’s development. If the group is new to Nevada, describe how your previous work has prepared you to establish relationships and supports in this new community.

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4.  Academic Plan

MISSION & VISION

The mission of your school should describe the purpose of your school, including the students and community to be served and the values to which you will adhere while achieving that purpose. The vision of your school should describe what success looks like for students, for the school as a whole, and for any other entities that are critical to your mission. The mission and vision statement should align with the purposes of the Nevada charter school law and the mission of the State Public Charter School Authority and serves as the foundation for the entire proposal.

(1)  Provide the mission of your proposed school and describe how that mission will inform your school’s daily activities and students’ classroom experience.

(2)  Describe the vision for your school, clearly illustrating what success will look like in terms of life outcomes for students and the impact on the local community and/or larger society.

(3)  Articulate clear guiding purposes and priorities that are meaningful, measurable, and attainable.

(4)  A charter school must have as its stated purpose at least one of the goals set forth in NRS

(5)  386.520. Please identify the statutory purpose(s) of the school and how these align to the mission and vision of the school. The six statutory purposes are:

(a)  Improving the academic achievement of pupils;

(b)  Encouraging the use of effective and innovative methods of teaching;

(c)  Providing an accurate measurement of the educational achievement of pupils;

(d)  Establishing accountability and transparency of public schools;

(e)  Providing a method for public schools to measure achievement based upon the performance of the schools; and

(f)  Creating new professional opportunities for teachers.

TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE

The SPCSA is committed to authorizing applicants that seek transformational change for the communities they serve, meaning that the operator:

·  Puts forth a model that will result in double-digit academic gains, and

·  Has a solid plan to move schools toward the top 25% in Nevada. School progress is evaluated based on the SPCSA’s Charter School Performance Framework (CSPF) and the Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF) adopted by the Nevada Department of Education.

(1)  Articulate your approach to education. Describe the most essential features of your school that ensure it will meet the SPCSA’s ambitious academic goals. Specifically describe how your students, many of whom will not be proficient initially, will experience and practice academic rigor during the first year and subsequent years in which your school is progressing toward the SPCSA’s academic goals.

(2)  Describe the fundamental features of your educational model that will drive outcomes in your proposed school. Key features may include:

·  Programs (e.g., curriculum, PD, afterschool program, parent program, etc.)

·  Principles (e.g., no excuses, individualized learning, learn at your own pace, etc.)

·  Structures (e.g., blended learning, small learning communities, small class sizes, etc.)

(3)  Describe the mechanisms by which the fundamental features you described in (2) will dramatically influence student success. Please provide evidence from your own experience and/or valid research.

(4)  How will you drive growth among students at all achievement levels, accelerating the achievement of those who are most behind?

(5)  Provide, as Attachment 18, academic performance data for the school model being replicated by the applicant and contact information for each campus and charter school authorizer in the appropriate tabs of the spreadsheet.

CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

The framework proposed for instructional design must both reflect the needs of the anticipated population and ensure all students will meet or exceed the expectations of the Nevada Academic Content Standards.

(1)  Describe the proposed academic program and how it complies with the requirements of NRS386.550 and NRS 389.018.

(2)  Describe the instructional strategies that you will implement to support the education plan and why they are well suited for the anticipated student population. Outline the data, methods, and systems teachers will use to provide differentiated instruction to all students. Please note that SPCSA schools typically start with students performing across a broad spectrum from years below grade level to advanced learners. Include the professional development teachers will receive to ensure high levels of implementation.

(3)  Describe the school’s approach to help remediate students’ academic underperformance. Detail the identification strategy, interventions, and remediation to be implemented. Cite the research/rationale for the chosen methods. What student academic support resources should your school expect from the EMO or CMO (if applicable)? How will you measure the success of your academic remediation efforts (in year 1, year 3, year 5, and beyond? How will you communicate the need for remediation to parents? How will staffing be structured to ensure that gifted students are adequately supported?

(4)  Describe how you will identify the needs of all students. Identify the research-based programs, strategies and supports you will utilize to provide a broad continuum of services, ensure students’ access to the general education curriculum in the least restrictive environment, and fulfill NV’s required Response to Intervention model.

(5)  Explain how the school will identify and differentiate to meet the needs of intellectually gifted students in a way that extends their learning and offers them unique, tailored opportunities. Please note that Nevada law classifies intellectually gifted students as eligible for specific support services. How will staffing be structured to ensure that gifted students are adequately supported?

(6)  Describe the enrichment opportunities that will be available to students performing at or above grade level as part of the school’s comprehensive strategy to ensure that all pupils are making accelerated academic progress.

(1)  Explain how students will matriculate through the school (i.e., promotion/retention policies) and how stakeholders will be informed of these standards.

PROGRAMS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION (Distance Education Applicants Only)

A charter school that wishes to provide distance education (online, virtual, cyber, etc.) courses and/or programs (NRS 388.820-388.874 and NAC 388.800-388.860) must submit a distance education application to the Nevada Department of Education prior to or in conjunction with its application to the SPCSA. For applicants who do not propose to offer a program of distance education, please provide a brief statement explaining that the questions in this section are not applicable.

(1)  Describe the system of course credits that the school will use.

(2)  Describe how the school will monitor and verify the participation in and completion of courses by pupils.

(3)  Describe how the school will ensure students participate in assessments and submit coursework.

(4)  Describe how the school will conduct parent-teacher conferences.

(5)  Describe how the school will administer all tests, examinations or assessments required by state or federal law or integral to the performance goals of the charter school in a proctored setting.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS

A charter school that wishes to provide pre-kindergarten services to students who will later enroll in its K-12 programs must apply separately to the Nevada Department of Education to offer education below the kindergarten level following charter approval. Approval to offer pre-kindergarten cannot be guaranteed. Consequently, revenues and expenditures related to pre-kindergarten should not be included in the initial charter application budget. Please note that state-funded pre-kindergarten programs are not directed through the state Distributive Schools Account for K-12 education. In addition to a limited amount of state pre-kindergarten funding available through the Department of Education, the SPCSA is also a sub-recipient of a federal grant to expand early childhood services in certain high-need communities through programs approved by NDE. Applicants are encouraged to review resources available at http://www.doe.nv.gov/Early_Learning_Development/. For applicants who do not propose to offer pre-kindergarten, please provide a brief statement explaining that the questions in this section are not applicable.